Joel's motivational Log

[joel24242]

Hey guys,
this post is more for my benefit than anything else. I have this habit of going to the gym once or twice and then not getting back there again, in ages. So i thought maybe if i start recording my trips in here, i can at least see for myself how often im actually making it to the gym and hopefully spur myself into getting there just that bit more consistently.
Anyway my first return to the gym was last Wednesday and unfortunately did not last very long at all. As a kind i had an iron defeciency, supposed to be all good now, but if i overexert myself them I tend to get quite faint and feel pretty damn sick. So i went into the gym pretty hard despite not being there for a while and didnt get very far before i felt like crap, so i left it at that.
Now my second go was much better, which was today (sunday). Went a little easier and did most of the exercises i wanted too get through.
Here is basically what i did.
Double Cable Chest Press 4x10 18kgs
Shoulder Press 4x8 9kgs
Front Raises D/B 4x10 6kgs
Triceps Pushdown (rope) 4x10 18kgs
Reverse curl situps 3x25
Russian Twist with mediball 3x20
Crunches 3x20
and finished off with 20mins on the cross trainer

Anyway i plan on heading to the gym tomorrow and do legs and bi's. Have the day off work so dont really have an excuse although have a million of other things to get done. Ill keep this thread informed.
Thanks for reading and lets home this is just the first of many workouts.

Joel.

[lewj99]

Best of luck with your workouts Joel! Once you make going to the gym a regular part of your routine you'll wonder how you ever lived without it (I know I do, LOL). Keep us up to date on your progress...

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Joel,
Good luck with the workout log. I hope it helps. I know my workout blog helps to motivate me. It doesn't let me skip out on workouts, and it helps me push myself with the weights I use.

Congrats on starting back! We're all here to help motivate each other.

[hulkmuscle]

Originally Posted by joel24242

As a kind i had an iron defeciency, supposed to be all good now, but if i overexert myself them I tend to get quite faint and feel pretty damn sick. So i went into the gym pretty hard despite not being there for a while and didnt get very far before i felt like crap, so i left it at that.

Hey Joel, congrats on the journal! Let's hope this is just the beginning of a productive and wonderful journey for you.

In reference to your overexertion issues, might I suggest you try to stick with a basics-only workout until you get a little more on your feet (squats/leg press, bench, pulldown, bent row, delt press, arm curl, tricep dip/extension, calf raise). This way you can keep your workouts short, yet still cover all the muscle groups you need without fear of running of steam.

I'm sure the experienced guys here will also some opinions to help you maximize your potential. We all look forward to reading about your progress!

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi Joel, and well done for putting into action your training journal and for making that decision to take this whole Body building thing seriously and build your body up.

In the early days, you need to firstly just keep going. Infact, it does not matter what stage of the game your in, you just have to keep going. Especially when you don't see any results, or at least when you don't see them.
Secondly you need to get to grips with the compound exercises and make sure you performing them in the CORRECT form and thus isolating the muscles. If your not sure about the current form of any exercise, just ask a gym staff member, they usually are able to help. Or, you could get a personal trainer. For now, until you get going into full swing, i personally would not worry too much about supplements (protein shakes, creatine etc). Just make sure you are eating little and often. And if you can, divide you meals up into 6 a day, each one containing an ample amount of protein and carbs.

One thing you have not stated is your goal... are you aiming for an athletic look (defined/6 pac), semi buff look (muscled but not huge huge), a bear look (Beefy but not not defined), body builder look (Huge vieny muscled man), or, my personal favorite, just f'ing huge!?

Anyway, I wish you the very best with your regime!

Keep growing!

Marc

[joel24242]

Hey people,
well I made it to the gym again. Here is a quick rundown of what I did.
min warm up on the rowing machine.
45 degree Leg Press 4x8 90kgs (200lbs)
Leg Extension 4x9 18kgs (40lbs)
Hamstring Curls 4x10 20kgs (45lbs)
Lat Pulldown 4x10 28kgs (60lbs)
Back Extension 4x10 no weight
Bicep Curls (Barbell) 4x10 15kgs (35lbs)
Hammer Curls (Dumbbell) 4x10 7kgs (15lbs)
Didn't do any cardio today as one ran out of time and two had to work afterwards and was thus on my feet for 7 hours straight, which will do me fine thanks.
I'm giving myself tomorrow off (mostly due to the fact i have to work) and will go again on Friday.

Ok now that the reporting is done, I would just like to say thanks heaps to everyone for your support, its the reason i decided to start this in the first place. I mean if you guys can't keep someone motivated then theres no hope.

Hulkmuscle in regard to my overexertion issue, generally its all good, just if i don't eat enough before i workout then i tend to feel faint, or I push myself too far in one particular exercise. The last time I actually fainted was about 18 months ago. Did it in a most spectacualr fashion aswell. I had gone to my brother's gym with him and some friends as they were giving friends of members a free workout to try and entice them to join up. Well all was going good, I was moving through a workout when the PT that had shown me around made some comment about me not pushing hard enough. Well me being the competitive sort decided to push myself harder. Well at end of workout my friends and I were waiting on one more friend to finish up. I'm relatively use to the signs I get when i think i'm going to pass out, so I told my brother I was just going to head downstairs and work around, this usually works, I hadn't fainted in years. Anyway, time for the spectacualr part, this gym was in a mini shopping centre and was on the second floor. So i went out and started going down the excalator when i believe it must have been around halfway down that i began to loose conscienceness. Next thing i knowim on the ground looking up at all these people staring at me with blood running down my face. Went to work that day with a nice blue bandaid on my forehead, not to mention a killer of a headache. Anyway all has been pretty good since then, I try to make sure i eat well before i workout and know when to stop and take it easy if i go too far. So far the last two workouts have been fine.

In reply to you Marc, my goal at least at the moment, would probably slot into your semi-buff category, I dont have the disipline with my diet to get super shredded, so mostly I just want to add some size and enjoy the great feeling of getting through a workout and having that reassuring ache in your muscles. Two workouts and i'm getting a high from it already.

Once again thanks to everyone for your support and i'll let you know how i go next workout.

Cheers,
Joel.

[Marco_ukmus]

Hi Joe,

Well done with the weights. You'll find they will shoot up in no time at all.

Originally Posted by joel24242

So i went out and started going down the excalator when i believe it must have been around halfway down that i began to loose conscienceness. Next thing i knowim on the ground looking up at all these people staring at me with blood running down my face.

OMG! Don't say you will try to eat, say you will eat. Man thats seriously crazy! I too have fainted a few times and can recognise the signs. My body is so used to eating five meals a day now that if i delay any one of them, i too start to feel faint. Obviously, I have not ever fainted as a result of delaying or missing a meal, but i do get light headed and the shakes, and my tummy rumbles like crazy every few minutes. Anyway, you MUST make sure you fuel your workouts. make sure you have something say 1 hour before and just a mini snack say 30mins before if you can. Also don't forget your post workout fuel. Research has shown you get just 45 mins after workout when your body is able to reap the most from any protein you take in.

Originally Posted by joel24242

In reply to you Marc, my goal at least at the moment, would probably slot into your semi-buff category, I dont have the disipline with my diet to get super shredded, so mostly I just want to add some size and enjoy the great feeling of getting through a workout and having that reassuring ache in your muscles.

Its good to work with a goal like that to begin with. Like you say, you may change you mind later and want to go for a say body builder look. But first things first. Now your starting to get the high from those workouts so just keep going! And make sure you complete the exercises with good form. When you first start out, its important to make sure you dont start any naughty habits, since they are harder to correct later.

Wishing you all the best of luck.

Marc

[joel24242]

Ok well im back from another trip to the gym. Just want to reassure you Marco that i never skip meals, just when i work out hard i have to make sure i eat something extra beforehand, which i did today.
So this is what i did. I know this part is repetative but its more for my benefit than anything else.
Double Cable Chest Press 4x10 18kgs (40lbs)
Shoulder Press 4x9 9 kgs (20lbs)
Front Raises dumbell 4x8 7kgs (15lbs)
Skull Crushes Barbell 4x8 15kgs (35lbs)
Triceps Pushdown - rope 4x9 18kgs (40lbs)
Reverse curl situp 3x20
Russian twists with weightball 3x20
Crunches 3x20

Finished it off with 20mins in the bike.

Was orginally planning on going again tomorrow but think ill leave it for Sunday instead as tomorrow looks to be a full on day. My footy (afl) team (Sydney Swans) got into the grandfinal. So im meeting up with friends to watch that and then have to work that night.
So that's me for another post, Go the Swannies!!!!!

Joel.

[joel24242]

Well, unfortunately i didn't make it to the gym on Sunday, but i did go today, Monday. Ok, so this is what i made through today.
45 degree Leg Press 4x8 90kgs
Leg Extension 4x10 28kgs
Hamstring curls 4x10 20kgs
Narrow seated row 4x10 28kgs
Back Extensions 4x10 no weight
Lat Pulldown 4x10 32kgs
Bicep Curls barbell 4x10 15kgs
Hammer Curls dumbell 4x8 8kgs

That was it pretty much apart from a 20minute walk from the gym.
For anyone interested the SYdney Swans defeated West Coast Eagles in the AFL grandfinal this weekend. Go the Swannies!!!!

Joel.

[joel24242]

As some of you may have noticed, I've stopped posting every workout, but don't worry I'm still making it to the gym. Went just yesterday in fact, with my twin brother. He found out the other day that i had started to go to the gym again and was a little cut that i hadnt told him and dragged him along aswell. So we are going to try and motivate each other to get to the gym as much as possible, which is good. I'll keep everyone updated with how my workouts progress.
Cheers,
Joel.

[muscle_mastah]

That's pretty cool. I'm a twin too. Are you two identical?

[joel24242]

yeah techinically we are identical, although ive pretty much always been smaller, was over 2 pounds smaller than him at birth. As kids we looked pretty similar but when we hit puberty we changed a little also he has a little more weight then me so that makes us look a little more differently aswell. What about you, are you identical?

[muscle_mastah]

Yup, we're identical as well. There was a weight difference between us too, but was especially noticable after he had a serious appendicitis in grade school that landed him in hospital for 3 months. After that, I was always about 5lbs heavier.

Now our life styles have changed a lot over the years, plus put a lot of energy into working out and growing muscles and he hasn't. We still look simular in the face, baldness patterns and of course manerisms but our bodies don't look the same at all now. *flex*

[joel24242]

Hey peoples,
Thought it about time i write a bit more here. Ive still been making it to the gym, not as often as i would like due to work commitments mostly but at least ive made it there every week. I have the week off work this week so I'm hoping this will help me kick start a second phase in my workouts where i am able to get to the gym more often. im hoping for 4 times a week. Ill post my workout from today so if anyone is interested they can compare my weights to my first post. Not a huge jump but i have made steady improvements as ive become more comfortable in the gym.

ok so this is what i did.
Incline Chest Press 4x8 10kgs (22lbs)
Double Cable Chest Press 4x10 23kgs (50lbs)
Shoulder Press 4x10 9kgs (20lbs)
Front Raises Dumbell 4x10 7kgs (15lbs)
Skull Crushes barbell 4x10 15ks (35lbs)
Triceps Pulldown 4x10 18kgs (40lbs)
Reverse curl situps 3x20
Russian twists with mediball 3x20
Crunches 3x20

Im going to the gym tomorrow again, not my usual one though as im meeting up with someone from here who is in town, so should be fun. With us pushing each other should prove to be quite a workout. Ill let you guys know how it goes.

Catch ya,
Joel.

Oh, by the way i just bought a new digital camera so ill be able to take some pics now so i have something to compare to as i get fit.

[jdhdawg]

I had the pleasure of working out with Joel and jco007 while in Australia this week. Both of them are classy guys who are looking to get BIG. It was great to work out with them and feel their intensity. I'm looking for impressive gains from both of them over the coming months.

Joel, thanks for your hospitality while I was in town. I appreciate you publishing your log. Grind your twin into the floor! Keep pushing yourself and you'll get the gains you're seeking. Best wishes.

[joel24242]

Well I have to say, it did prove to be quite a workout. Have to say a huge thanks to JD who helped push me to one of the hardest workouts ever and motivating me to see just what my potential holds for me.

During our mammoth workout I started suffering from the hole fainting problem again, dont worry didnt actually faint. Just took it easy for a few moments and JD encouraged me to keep going. Usually when i start to feel like that i just pack up and go home. I have to say I am glad JD kept pushing me because as i kept going it felt like i pushed through some kind of wall and by the end of the workout i actually felt like i could have done it all again. It was a really nice high and i'm glad i managed to work through one of the things that tends to stop me from pushing myself as hard as I could.

Anyway i'm off to go to the gym with my twin now and I plan to show him just what the meaning of workout is.

Hopefully one day I can be as impressively big as you JD. Thanks heaps for your vist and I look forward to pushing each other to greater and greater size.

[muscle_mastah]

Originally Posted by joel24242

Hopefully one day I can be as impressively big as you JD. Thanks heaps for your vist and I look forward to pushing each other to greater and greater size.

I'm looking forward to seeing big JD very soon too. Sounds like a good time you had.

[Jim USA]

We're all behind you, Joel. Most of us who started working out regularly later in life will recall that day, after six to eight weeks of regularly hitting the weights, when we started seeing how cool the results are. It happened to me one day while I was shaving and noticed something different about how my arms looked in the mirror. They had some new lumps. They had muscle! Seeing some success motivates you to workout more, which brings more success. It's great motivation and it just keeps getting better. Good luck to you.

[jco2007]

Hey Joel
Having met you in person and JD and read your log.

You seem serious about wanting to get big, despite setbacks that will occur stick with it and you'll end up with more than you bargained for. You've a decent body to start with, so it can only be gains from this point on.

JD is a very motivational guy, not just his physique, but his intellect and personality. One feels enriched when having parted from him.

JD & Joel - thanks for the shared workout experience.

[joel24242]

Hey guys,
Just writing to say that i'm still around. Workouts kind of died over the christmas period with so much on, work family etc. I am back into the gym now though, last two weeks have made it their consistently which is good. Already lifting the weights that i was before my month off and actually lifting heavier in some exercises, expecially with my legs which i dont think i have been pushing hard enough. Went for 100kgs on the leg press yesterday (normally do 90kgs) and managed it easily so might try for even more next time.

I finally braved the camera and took some pics of myself last week. These i will count as my before pics. So will take some more in a month or so and hopefully ill see a difference. Anyway hope everyone continues to have great workouts and hopefully I'll be bigger soon.

Joel.

[jdhdawg]

Joel,

It's good to see you posting here again. Make your schedule, push yourself, get plenty to eat, and get some sleep. Your work schedule is really rough but I'm confident that you'll make the gains you desire if you'll keep making your workouts a priority. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress pics.

Best wishes~

JD

[jco2007]

Hey Joel
Good to hear from you.

I can only offer encouragement, JD has basically said it all.

In addition to that, you have the desire (which is an important starting point), it's now a matter of planning and commitment - coupled with consistency and you'll arrive at where you want to be. Though squeezing it all in can be tough, I'm sure you'll get the measure of it.

[joel24242]

Firstly i just want to say a big thanks to both JD and jco2007 for their support and motivation, it truely helps.
Secondly i just wanted to say yay today cos i have decided to try and push my legs a little more and did a personal best on the leg press today and felt great. Managed to do 4 sets of 8 reps with 110 kgs. I think i might have let out a grunt or two with the last few reps. Anyway, gym routine still going well currently making it 3 times a week, hoping to start pushing that to 4 times a week.

Cheers everyone,
Joel.

[brent]

Originally Posted by joel24242

...
Managed to do 4 sets of 8 reps with 110 kgs. I think i might have let out a grunt or two with the last few reps.
...

You are doing really well! To translate 110 kg for my fellow Americans, it is 242 lbs, or about 2 plates & a dime on each side.

[hulkmuscle]

Originally Posted by joel24242

I think i might have let out a grunt or two with the last few reps.

Just one or two?

[joel24242]

Was just looking through this to see the last time I posted here and saw it was the end of January so thought i better give an update. From my last post I had a birthday in February. YAY!! However suffered from tonsilitis the week leading up to that, so no workouts that week, got better in time for my birthday, did one workout and got struck down with a cold that just didnt want to leave, so my workouts didn't really kick off again properly until near the end of March, by which time I had started university and joined up to the uni gym. So for the past about 4 weeks it think, I have been working out 3 times a week there. Hoping to up it to 4 times.

As for my progress thus far, haven't really noticed huge changes although i think i am getting a little bigger. Managed to do 130kg on the leg press this week which i was happy about. I measured myself sometime at the end of last year I believe, not really sure, didnt do it very well so not sure how accurate they are, but im going to try and take more regular measurements now so I can see whats happening with me.

Thus here are my following measurements
Height 178cm - approx 5'10
Weight 81kg - approx 178 pounds (i think)
Neck 39.5cm - 15 1/2"
Chest 98cm - 38 1/2"
Biceps 34cm - 13 1/4" (i'm going by my left arm, its slightly smaller)
Waist(at belly button) 92cm - 36" (i have a crappy diet)
Quads(upper thigh) 64cm - 25"
Quads(mid thigh) 56.5cm - 22"
Calves 38.5cm - 15"

I think that is pretty much cover everything. To finish off this post, i'll just let you know where i plan on taking my workouts from here. I've decided to sign up for a 4 session personal trainer package at my uni to set up a new routine and hopefully really get things going now that I have managed to set up and maintain a regular workout schedule. That is kicking off after Easter. So hopefully by the end of May i'll have some real solid results to show off. If not at the very least i'm loving working out.

Cheers,
Joel.

[joel24242]

Well my workouts sucked over the last two weeks. My gym was closed for 5 days over Easter so i thought it would be a good break but due to multiple stresses, I haven't really been back very much. I did however go in an dsort out that personal trainer, with our first one hour session on Monday. SO this should be a could kick back into action.
I can't wait to be honest, time to get in and really see just what my body can do!!

Cheers,
Joel.

[jdhdawg]

Joel,

Everyone needs a break from time to time. Get yourself psyched up to really go full speed from Monday forward. I hope your trainer gives you some good insight & encouragement. I look forward to more updates.

GET HUGE!

[joel24242]

Ok for anyone interested, I had my first peronal trainer session today. Was really good. He is putting me on a split routine and looks to be fairly intense. My nest session with him is on Thursday to go through the second half of the split workout. This is just what i needed and can't wait to see what i can do with this new workout.

Cheers,
Joel.

[jdhdawg]

Hey, Joel,

How's it going with the personal trainer? Are you learning some new exercises? I'd like to hear about your progress. Press forward!

[joel24242]

Hey guys, ok the reason i hadn't posted again was I fell sink with tonsillitis. Not happy Jan. Anyway after a week in bed and only having liquids I'm starting to feel better. Tentativly went to the gym today to ease myself back as i hadnt been since my personal trainer meeting last week. So i just went through the new routine, just one set each excercise. I'm meeting with the personal trainer tomorrow morning to go through day 2 of the workout. So i'll go through what new excercises i'm doing then so i can give you guys the complete workout.

Cheers,
Joel.

[jco2007]

Hey Joel
How did the second session with your personal trainer go? Would like to know how things are coming along! Stick with it.

[joel24242]

Hey peoples,
Thought i would just write down what my new workout is as designed by the personal trainer. Day One is:
Bike, Treadmill or Rower 20mins

Then as a circuit
Bench Press
Wide grip chins
Tricep dips

I do each excercise after the other with little rest between and then repeat so i end up with 2 sets of 15 reps

Then as a second circuit
Cable Flies
Narrow Grip seated Row
Tricep Pulldowns

Once again go through each excercise one after the other then repeat thus end up with 2 sets of 15 reps

Then another 10 mins on either bike/treadmill or rower

Finally abs
crunches
then V brace

finish with stretching

As you can see its fairly intense with minimal breaks and keeping my heart rate up. THis will probably mean i will get more toned rather than purely bulking up but i could do with lowering my body fat at the moment anyway.

The second day once again starts with 20 mins on bike/treadmill or rower

Then as a circuit
Dumbbell shoulder press
45 degree press
Barbell curls

I do each excercise after the other with little rest between and then repeat so i end up with 2 sets of 15 reps

Then the second circuit is
Lat raises
Lunges
Dumbbell Hammer Rotation

Finally some abs again
crunches
Prone hold

finish off with stretching

Im going to the gym Mon Tues with a rest of Wednesday, then repeat THurs Fri with Sat and Sun as rest days.

Hopefully i'll see some results, im definately feeling it so far.

Cheers,
Joel.

[joel24242]

This is just a quick update to let anyone who has been reading this how im going. Had a 2 week period at the end of my uni semester where i didnt have time to workout much but im in holidays now and back at the gym pushing myself harder then ever. My 4 personal trainer sessions are all done now, so ill be im following the routine he set out for me that i listed in my last post for the next 4 weeks or so and the book in for some more sessions to change things up a little bit and to see how im going. Not really andychanges in my measurements but i think i look different and im loving the workouts so thats the main thing. The one area i really need to work on now, is my diet. hopefully once i get that sorted ill be unstoppable.

Cheers guys,
Joel

[jdhdawg]

Thanks for the update, Joel. Each body responds differently to training. Follow your trainer's instructions but listen to your body, too. Watch your diet but make sure to get enough sleep. Even the best workouts & diet aren't very effective without good sleep patterns. Here's to major growth for you!